Automatic continuous mail handling system

ABSTRACT

A continuous mail sorting and postage imprinting system which automatically weighs and meters each piece of mail. The system is designed to rapidly handle a large quantity of mixed mail. Mixed mail is continuously and synchronously fed in seriatim along a continuous feed path. Unsealed envelopes have their flaps wetted and sealed. All the envelopes are stopped at a weighing station where they are weighed, and the postage corresponding to their particular weight is computed. The determined postage value is used to continuously reset a postage meter which imprints the required postage upon each envelope as it arrives at a metering station. The metering and weighing functions of the system are synchronized such that the postage meter will imprint the proper postage upon each piece of mail, despite the fact that several envelopes may be simultaneously in transit along the feed path. Overweight pieces of mail are rejected from the feed path prior to their reaching the postage meter station. Metered and overweight pieces of mail are separately stacked.

United States Patent Storace et al.

[451 Aug. 26, 1975 AUTOMATIC CONTINUOUS MAIL Primary Examiner-George H. Miller, Jr.

HANDLING SYSTEM Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam D. Soltow, .lr.;

' Albert W. Scribner; Robert S. Salzman [75] Inventors: Anthony Storace, Tarrytown, N.Y.; [57] ABSTRACT Fredric Zucker Smmfurd Conn A continuous mail sorting and postage imprinting sys- [73] A i pi g St f d Conn tem which automatically weighs and meters each piece of mail. The system is designed to rapidly handle a large quantity of mixed mail. Mixed mail is continu- [22] filed: 1974 ously and synchronously fed in seriatim along a con- 2 {1 App] 522 2 tinuous feed path. Unsealed envelopes have their flaps wetted and sealed. All the envelopes are stopped at a weighing station where they are weighed, and the Related U.S. Application Data postage corresponding to their particular weight is 2] Division f s 476.6181une 5, 9 computed. The determined postage value is used to continuously reset a postage meter which imprints the [52] US. Cl. 209/l2l; 177/1; l77/4; required P g p each filwelopi as it arrives at 77 5 metering station. The metering and weighing functions 51 lnt.Cl.?..B07C 5/16; G010 23/38; 0010 19/52 of the system are Synchronized Such that the Postage 58 Field of Search 177/1, 4, 25, 50; 209/l2l meter will imprint the P p postage p each Piece of mail, despite the fact that several envelopes may be simultaneously in transit along the feed path. Over- 56] References Cied weight pieces of mail are rejected from the feed path UNITED STATES PATENTS prior to their reaching the postage meter station. Me-

tered and overweight pieces of mail are separately 3.648.839 3/1972 Bradshaw et al. l77/l X Stacked. 165L936 3/1972 Powell ZU9/l2l X 3.724.570 4/1973 Chenut l77/4 2 Claims, 30 Drawing Figures.

FEEDER naive Pas-sen. SEALER Pas-sens POST-SCALE It a srmou mussel! men srxnou n simou la Smnon 2| WEIGNUNG TE 23 BOSI'IGE METER smnou 2o 22 srmou 23 DETER 24 Fuzo mu sELEcma STQTION 25 METEREO MAIL STACKER l7 PATENTEU AUB ZS 1975 SHEET SHEET .5825 wig- 8.

PATENTED Auszslvs SHEET OmN CON O9 00- cm HI U PATENTEU M1525 IEYB SHEET ACTUATOR SETTINGS STEPPER MOTORS SOLENOIOS DOLLARS (0-1) TENS (0-9) CENTS (0* WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII SHEET F5 in x450 Now PATENTEI] M182 6 I975 SHEET rw k PATENTEUAUEZBIQYS 3,901,797

SHEET 19 

1. A CONTINUOUS AUTOMATIC WEIGHING AND MATERING MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING A LARGE VOLUME OF MIXED MAIL, SAID MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING AND IMPRINTING POSTAGE UPON INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF MAIL BEING CONTINUOUSLY FED IN SERIATIN WHICH A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL OREINTATION ALONG A CONTINUOUS FEED PATH COMPRISING A WEIGHING STATION AND A POSTAGE METER STATION, SAID WEIGHING STATION AUTOMATICALLY WEIGHING EACH PIECE OF MAIL AND DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF THE POSTAGES TO BE IMPRINTED THEREON, THE AMOUNT OF POSTAGE TO BE IMPRINTED BY SAID POSTAGE METER STATION EACH PIECE OF MAIL BEING CONTROLLED TO CORRESPOND TO SAID DETERMINED AMOUNT, SAID MAIL HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING, MEANS DEFINING A CONTINUOUS MAIL HANDLING FEED PATH WHEREIN PIECES OF MAIL ARE TRANSPORTED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTIVAL ORIENTATION, A WEIGHING STATION COMPRISING POSTAGE DETERMINING MEANS, SAID WEIGHING STATION DISPOSED ALONG SAID CONTINUOUS FEED PATH FOR MEASURING THE WEIGHT OF EACH PICE OF MAIL DELIVERED TO SAID WEIGHING STATION AND DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF POSTAGE TO BE IMPRINTED ON EACH PIECE OF MAIL WHICH HAS BEEN WEIGHED, SAID WEIGHING STATON HAVING MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER PIECES OF MAIL ARE OVER-WEIGHT, AND REJECT MEANS ARE PROVIDED ALONG SAID FEED PATH FOR REJECTING OVER-WEIGHT PIECES OF MAIL, SAID REJECT MANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID WEIGHING STATION SO AS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE OVER-WEIGT DETERMINATION FOR REJECTING AN OVER-WEIGHT PIECES OF MAIL FROM SAID FEED PATH,
 2. A method of continuously processing a large volume of mixed mail, whereby individual pieces of mail are continuously fed with a substantially vertical orientation in seriatim along a feed path comprising a weighing station and a postage meter station, each piece of mail being weighed, and then imprinted with postage corresponding to the weight of said pieces of mail, the method comprising the steps of: a. continuously feeding in seriatim with a substantially vertical orientation, a quantity of mail along a continuous feed path; b. continuously delivering in seriatim each piece of mail to a weighing station disposed along said feed path, for weighing said mail; c. weighing each piece of mail delivered to said weighing station; d. determining the amount of postage needed for each weighed piece of mail; e. continuously delivering in seriatim each piece of weighed mail to a postage meter station disposed along said feed path; f. controlling the amount of postage to be imprinted upon each piece of mail so that it corresponds with the amount of determined postage; g. imprinting each piece of mail delivered to said postage meter station with the controlled amount of postage; and h. rejecting over-weight pieces of mail from said feed path after weighing and prior to postage imprinting. 